Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on US foreign policy under new Trump term
With President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, many are expecting substantial changes in US foreign policy. The bilateral relationship between the US and Czechia could also see adjustments. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský discussed some of these possible changes with Czech Radio.
In his interview with Czech Radio, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský explained that Trump is signaling a shift in US priorities. In this new age of geopolitics, Lipavský emphasized that Europe should take greater responsibility for its own defense spending and that America's focus may turn more toward China.
“We are going through a period of great change. This is not only about Donald Trump and the massive victory of the Republicans, who won a majority in both houses of the US Congress, but also the new European Commission coming in after the European elections and the early elections in Germany. However, the victory of Donald Trump and the Republicans is a key change in foreign policy, and we must think and listen very carefully to what Donald Trump says.”
Trump has also suggested bringing jobs back to the US, which could introduce tariff barriers impacting Europe. According to Lipavský, this is another crucial reason for Europe to strengthen the transatlantic alliance, demonstrating its commitment to self-reliance while avoiding unnecessary trade conflicts with the US.
Lipavský expressed doubt about Trump’s professed ability to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian war within 24 hours unless Russia stops its attacks and withdraws from occupied territories—a scenario he sees as highly improbable to achieve in such a short time.
The foreign minister argued that both Trump and his Republican Party will need to approach the topic with a sober, realistic perspective. That’s mainly because of Russia’s and China’s strong trade relationship that supports Russia’s military activities, with additional backing from strategic allies like North Korea and Iran—an alliance he describes as a literal "axis of evil."
In order to reckon with the geopolitics of our time, Lipavský painted historical overlaps between the period we find ourselves in now and 1938, just before the outbreak of the Second World War:
“I am convinced that the Czech Republic even has the moral courage to remind [the international community] of 1938, to say how deeply wrong the Munich Agreement was, dictating to Czechoslovakia that it should give up its territory to Germany. It certainly did not stop anything. Although Adolf Hitler repeatedly spoke in 1938 about this being his last territorial demand, we know that it was exactly the opposite, that it was the very beginning of aggression.”
Lipavský expressed concern that the same logic applies to the Russian Federation: if we show Putin that his aggression is effective, it will only encourage Russia to rearm and prepare its population for further hostile actions.
There are multiple areas where this behavior could be repeated, he believes. Any peaceful resolution must result in an outcome that Ukrainians support and does not reward Putin’s aggression. While there are various possible scenarios, the essential factor is that Ukrainians agree with the solution, Lipavský stressed.
